Bedlam Reveler in the Ice

30/07/2016

When the spoilers for Eldrich Moon dropped, I was linked to this deck list from /r/spikes. I had been previously brewing a mono-red agro/burn deck. It was fun to play but it was lacking the punch needed to deal with the swarm of weenie decks that are currently dominating my local game shop. While I wasn't happy with everything on the decklist, it was certainly a place to start from. Since I am a nerd for under loved mechanics and cards, I liked the idea of harnessing madness and prowess to their full potential.

My biggest complaint about the spikes list was the bounce package. Sure, it is sometimes nice to tempo your opponent with Just the Wind and Unsubstantiate, but a better place for most cards is in exile or in the graveyard. If you just bounce a card, it just winds up onto the field a turn later. So, those slots were replaced with a counterspell package taken from the Red-Blue flyers rouge deck that popped up in standard pre-Eldrich Moon.

Also, I cut flip Jace. Is Jace a good card? Yes. But, I think that Wharf Infiltrator and Curious Homunculus do more work in this creature-light deck because the put pressure on your opponent's life.

Here is the deck list:

I did some light playtesting already and so far I have run into these issues.

I didn't have my Shivian Reeves so the deck was a turn slow yesterday. I am hoping that TCG player hurries up and ships them to me.

The deck is challenging to play. Since this sits in the middle of Agro, Control, and Midrange, there is no straightforward script to follow while playing it.

It is possible to deck yourself. In my match against Black-White Angels Control, I won, but with only ten cards in my library. Playing against other control decks will most likely bring about the same result.

Rise from the Tides is a possible "one of" as an alternative win condition. It is very possible to be able to place 10+ zombies on the field on turn 10 or so.

If you don't get the gas you need early against agro decks, your fold easily.